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-- THE ARCHIVE --

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Press Association, 7 October 2006

Smacking children not so harmful - study

Smacking children does not necessarily make them more likely
to become aggressive and antisocial, new local research shows.

Research by the Dunedin multidisciplinary health and
development study shows children who are smacked lightly with an
open hand on the bottom, hand or leg do much the same in later
life as those who are not smacked, The New Zealand Herald
reported today.

The study has followed 1000 children born in Dunedin in
1972-73. Later this year the findings, based on interviews when
the subjects were 32-year-olds, will be published.

The project appeared to be the world's first long-term study
to separate people who had merely been smacked with an open hand,
lead author of the physical punishment part of the Dunedin study
psychologist Jane Millichamp said.

"Study members in the 'smacking only' category of
punishment appeared to be particularly high-functioning and
achieving members of society," she said.

In terms of aggression, substance abuse, adult convictions and
school achievement, this group had "similar or even slightly
better outcomes" than those who were not smacked.

Dr Millichamp said the problem with a lot of studies was that
they lumped a range of physical punishments together. She said
she had not found any evidence that an occasional mild smack with
an open hand on the clothed behind or the leg or hand was harmful
or instilled violence in children.

Dr Millichamp acknowledged this was not a popular thing to
say.

The findings undermine Green MP Sue Bradford's bill to repeal
section 59 of the Crimes Act, which allows parents to use
"reasonable force" to discipline children.

Dr Millichamp said she has made a written submission to
Parliament suggesting that section 59 should be retained but
amended to allow smacking with an open hand.

Earlier this week, National's Wairarapa MP John Hayes made
comments endorsing the use of physical discipline on unruly
teenagers.

He told a newspaper teenagers running wild "need a thick
ear".

"Corporal punishment is the ideal remedy for youths
running amok in public."

Mr Hayes said he received this type of punishment as a boy,
and it did not do him any harm.

He said he had surveyed his electorate about two months ago
and about 68 per cent of respondents were not supportive of a
proposed change to the Crimes Act, repealing the defence of
reasonable force when smacking children.

But he denied being unsupportive of the anti-violence
movement.

The section 59 repeal proposed by Green MP Sue Bradford was
not supported by the majority in his community, Mr Hayes said.

Ms Bradford said she was shocked by Mr Hayes' earlier
comments.

"I don't think it's appropriate at all that an MP should
be advocating the use of violence against young people as a means
of controlling them," she said.